Did We Purchase The Right Digital TV Converter Box For Our RV

by Danielle

I was recently told that not all dtv converter boxes are good to travel with. After the initial set up with the box, it will not work if you take it to a new city. I looked at a manual of a very popular dtv box and it did say if you take it to a new city you will need to contact the digital signal provider to find out how to re-access the initial start up menu on the box.

We purchased a box to put in our rv, do you know anything about this confusing situation, so we can purchase a box that will travel with us without anything more than a channel search?

This is the first time that I have heard of any DTV Converter Box not having the ability to rescan channels after initial setup. Every DTV Converter Box I have looked up has the ability of rescanning the channels any time you want.

On the remote control of these boxes is a button titled either "Menu", "Setup", "CH Scan" etc. When you go to the menu, it gives you the option of scanning the channels.

In fact, even the official US Government website for DTV Conversion www.dtv.gov urges you rescan the channels frequently. Here is a direct quote from their troubleshooting section:

"Perform a Channel Scan

*Digital-to-analog converter boxes and digital televisions have a button, usually on the remote control, that is labeled “set-up” or “menu” or some similar term. Press that button to access the set-up menu.

Using the directional arrow buttons on your remote, scroll to the option that allows you to perform a “channel scan.” The channel scan will search for digital broadcast channels that are available in your area. Consult the owner’s manual of your digital-to-analog converter box or digital television for detailed instructions on how to perform a channel scan for your device. Once the channel scan is complete, you will be able to tune to the digital channels received by your antenna.

*You should perform a channel scan periodically to check whether additional digital channels have become available."

Now for a manufacturer to disable or only allow you to do a channel scan once, would be defeating the whole purpose of the box. The only advice I can give anyone is to ensure that the box that they are buying allows channel scans to be performed anytime they want.

Another important option on any DTV Converter Box that is going to be installed in an RV is that it has the option of Analog Pass Through. The Analog Pass Through option allows your RV's existing DVD, VCR or Cable signals to get to your RVs TV when the DTV Converter Box is turned off.

My personal recommendation for a DTV Converter Box is the Zinwell ZAT-970A Digital to Analog TV Converter Box It is highly rated by its owners and it seems to pull in more channels than other DTV boxes I have tried. It also has analog pass through which is a must have option for any DTV Converter Box you buy.

I hope we have cleared up some of the confusion you may have had with the Digital TV Conversion. If any of our visitors have addtional information they would like to add they can do so by clicking on the Click Here To Post A Comment link on the bottom of this page.

Comments for Did We Purchase The Right Digital TV Converter Box For Our RV

I am not RVing but borrowing a family members converter until i get my coupons. We live in different cities and I cannot get any of my local channels. I go to the rescanning option and it goes through the process but keeps all the other cities local channel listings and doesnt give me any service!

RVing Al Comment I hope that you also have the Owner's Manual for the converter box you are borrowing. Look in the Owner's Manual and review the section on channel rescan. In some cases the boxes have a built in memory that retains the channels in case of a power failure.

Somewhere in the boxes menu system you might find a box reset command or located somewhere on the box itself you might find a button or a recessed button marked as reset or erase, you may have to hold that button down to reset the box so you can rescan the channels.

If all else fails, find the brand name of the box and search on the web for the manufacturer's website or for a forum that might discuss the rescanning procedure for your particular box.

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